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Show ContentsBirch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Birch is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in an area close to a birch tree which is derived from the Old English word Birce, which literally means birch. The family gave their name to the village of Birch in Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Birch family

The surname Birch was first found in Lancashire at Birch, a district chapelry, in the parish of Manchester, union of Chorlton, hundred of Salford. "The chapel, dedicated to St. James, is supposed to have been originally built by a member of the family of Birch. Birch Hall, a seat of the Haverseges, passed from them to the Birches; and it is conjectured that the plans laid by James, Earl of Derby, for seizing Manchester for Charles I., were disconcerted by the councils of Col. Birch (1615-1691) and his compeers, held here." 1

"In the reign of Edward II. the manor [of Birches in Cheshire] passed with the heiress of Nicholas de Birches, by marriage, to the Winningtons." 1

Early History of the Birch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birch research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1645, 1652, 1660, 1691 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Birch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Birch Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Birch has been spelled many different ways, including Birch, Birche, Burch, Berch and others.

Early Notables of the Birch family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Birch, Bishop of Hereford; and Colonel John Birch (1615-1691), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Leominster (1645-1660), who fought for the Parliamentary cause in the English civil...
  • Peter Birch (1652?-1710), was an English divine, the son of Thomas Birch of the ancient family of that name settled at Birch in Lancashire. 2

Birch World Ranking

In the United States, the name Birch is the 3,012nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Birch is ranked the 672nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,816 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Birch is the 662nd popular surname with an estimated 1,064 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Birch as 358th with 17,455 people. 6

Ireland Migration of the Birch family to Ireland

Some of the Birch family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Birch migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Birchs to arrive in North America:

Birch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Birch who settled in Dorchester Massachusetts in 1630
  • Thomas Birch, who settled in New England in 1654
Birch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Birch who settled in Maryland in 1739
  • George Birch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1764 7
Birch Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Thomas James Birch, (b. 1883), aged 22, Cornish engine driver, travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 8

Canada Birch migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Birch Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Birch U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 9
Birch Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Barbara Birch, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Juliet" departing 3rd July 1847 from London, England; the ship arrived on 28th August 1847 but she died on board 10
  • Mr. John Birch, aged who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Juliet" departing 3rd July 1847 from London, England; the ship arrived on 28th August 1847 but he died on board 10
  • Miss. Maria Birch, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Juliet" departing 3rd July 1847 from London, England; the ship arrived on 28th August 1847 but she died on board 10
  • Mr. Martin Birch, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Juliet" departing 3rd July 1847 from London, England; the ship arrived on 28th August 1847 but he died on board 10

Australia Birch migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Birch Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Birch, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. William Birch, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. John Birch, (Wain), (b. 1800), aged 20 who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 13
  • Mr. Thomas Birch, British Convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
  • William Birch, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Birch migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Birch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Birch, Australian settler travelling from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria aboard the ship "Earl Stanhope" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 16
  • E. N. Birch, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nelson" in 1842
  • Mr. E.N. Birch, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Wellington, North Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1842 16
  • Mr. Birch, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th November 1852 17
  • Mrs. Birch, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th November 1852 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Birch (post 1700) +

  • Stanley Francis Birch Jr. (b. 1945), American jurist, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (1990-2010)
  • Patricia Birch, American five-time Tony award nominated choreographer and director for musical theatre and film
  • Diane Birch (b. 1983), American singer-songwriter
  • Adam Birch (b. 1979), American semi-retired professional wrestler, known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews
  • John Birch (1918-1945), India-born, American missionary and US spy, executed in communist China, eponym of the John Birch Society
  • Paul Birch (1910-1969), American Broadway and film actor
  • Thora Birch (b. 1982), American Golden Globe nominated, three-time Young Artist Award winning actress 18
  • Samuel John "Lamorna" Birch (1869-1955), English painter, born in Egremont, Cheshire
  • Thomas Birch (1705-1766), English historian
  • Kenneth Joseph Birch (b. 1933), retired English footballer
  • ... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Master John Henry Reuben Birch (1907-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19
  • Miss Elsie Alice Birch (1914-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19
  • Mrs. Ellen Gertrude Birch (1878-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19
HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. James William Birch (1919-1941), Australian Acting Leading Stoker from Mornington, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 20
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Sydney L Birch, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 21
  • Mr. Joseph J Birch, British Ordnance Telegrahist, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 21
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Peter R Birch, British Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 22
HMS Royal Oak
  • Reginald George Birch, British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 23

The Birch Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Prudentia simplicitate
Motto Translation: Simply prudent.
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  9. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  10. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
  14. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  15. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. Thora Birch. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Thora Birch. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thora_Birch
  19. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  20. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  21. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  22. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  23. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
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